A two-side scanning apparatus and a method of controlling the two-side scanning apparatus including a sheet feeding roller train installed on a first side of a white roller to transfer a sheet to the white roller and including two rollers contacting each other, a sheet discharging roller train installed on a second side of the white roller opposite the sheet feeding roller train, a sheet reversing path surrounding a circumferential surface of the white roller to receive and guide the sheet being transferred from the sheet discharging roller train back between the white roller and an image sensor, and a sheet guide plate installed between the white roller and the sheet discharging roller train to pivot at a predetermined angle and to guide the sheet toward the sheet reversing path when the sheet is transferred from the sheet discharging roller train toward the white roller.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A two-side scanning apparatus, comprising: a white roller installed on an image sensor; a sheet transfer path extending from both sides of a contacting portion between the white roller and the image sensor; a sheet feeding roller train installed on a first side of the white roller in the sheet transfer path to transfer a sheet to the white roller and comprising two rollers contacting each other; a sheet discharging roller train installed on a second side of the white roller in the sheet transfer path and comprising a sheet discharging roller, and first and second passive rollers installed on and beneath the sheet discharging roller to contact a circumferential surface of the sheet discharging roller; a sheet reversing path surrounding a portion of a circumferential surface of the white roller to receive and guide the sheet being transferred from the sheet discharging roller train back between the white roller and the image sensor; and a sheet guide plate installed in the sheet transfer path between the white roller and the sheet discharging roller train to pivot at a predetermined angle, the sheet guide plate including an upper surface that guides the sheet to a position between the sheet discharging roller and the first passive roller and a lower surface that guides the sheet to a position between the sheet discharging roller and the second passive roller.
2. The two-side scanning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sheet guide plate pivots with a rotation of the sheet discharging roller train.
3. The two-side scanning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein: the sheet discharging roller rotates in forward and reverse directions; and the first and second passive rollers are passively rotated by the sheet discharging roller.
4. The two-side scanning apparatus of claim 3 , wherein when the sheet discharging roller rotates in the reverse direction, the sheet guide plate pivots into a predetermined position to guide the sheet positioned between the sheet discharging roller and the first passive roller to the sheet reversing path.
5. The two-side scanning apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a plurality of pinch rollers installed along the sheet reversing path to contact the circumferential surface of the white roller.
6. The two-side scanning apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of pinch rollers include three pinch rollers installed along the sheet reversing path.
7. The two-side scanning apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a first sheet sensor installed between the sheet discharging roller train and the sheet guide plate to sense the sheet.
8. The two-side scanning apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising: a second sheet sensor installed between the sheet feeding roller and the white roller to sense the sheet.
9. A two-side scanning apparatus comprising: a white roller installed on an image sensor; a sheet transfer path extending from both sides of a contacting portion between the white roller and the image sensor; a sheet feeding roller train installed on a first side of the white roller in the sheet transfer path to transfer a sheet to the white roller and comprising two rollers; a sheet discharging roller train installed on a second side of the white roller in the sheet transfer path and comprising a sheet discharging roller, and first and second passive rollers installed on and beneath the sheet discharging roller to contact a circumferential surface of the sheet discharging roller; a sheet reversing path surrounding a circumferential surface of the white roller to receive and guide the sheet that is transferred from the sheet discharging roller train back between the white roller and the image sensor; a plurality of pinch rollers installed along the sheet reversing path to contact the circumferential surface of the white roller; and a sheet guide plate installed in the single sheet transfer path between the white roller and the sheet discharging roller train to pivot at a predetermined angle, the sheet guide plate including an upper surface that guides the sheet to a position between the sheet discharging roller and the first passive roller and a lower surface that guides the sheet to a position between the sheet discharging roller and the second passive roller.
10. The two-side scanning apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the sheet guide plate pivots with a rotation of the sheet discharging roller train.
11. The two-side scanning apparatus of claim 9 , wherein: the sheet discharging roller rotates in forward and reverse directions; and the first and second passive rollers are passively rotated by the sheet discharging roller.
12. The two-side scanning apparatus of claim 11 , wherein when the sheet discharging roller rotates in a reverse direction, the sheet guide plate pivots into a predetermined position to guide the sheet positioned between the sheet discharging roller and the first passive roller to the sheet reversing path.
13. The two-side scanning apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising: a first sheet sensor installed between the sheet discharging roller train and the sheet guide plate to sense the sheet.
14. The two-side scanning apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising: a second sheet sensor installed between the sheet feeding roller and the white roller to sense the sheet.
15. A scanning apparatus to scan two sides of a recording medium, comprising: a frame, comprising: a forward sheet path extending through a length of the frame; and a reverse sheet path having a looped shape and connected to the forward sheet path at a first intersection and a second intersection; a discharge unit having a discharge roller to rotate in a forward direction to discharge a sheet and to rotate in a reverse direction to transfer the sheet back to the reverse sheet path, the discharge unit including a first outlet port disposed above the discharge roller and a second outlet port disposed below the discharge roller; and a sheet guide unit having a first state and a second state to guide a sheet that is being transferred in the forward direction to the second outlet port of the discharge unit and to guide a sheet that is being transferred in the reverse direction to the reverse sheet path when the sheet guide unit is in the first state, and to guide the sheet that is being transferred in the forward direction to the first outlet port of the discharge unit when the sheet guide unit is in the second state.
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein a sheet is transferred along the length of the forward sheet path past the first and second intersections in a forward direction, is transferred to the first intersection of the forward sheet path and the reverse sheet path in a reverse direction, is transferred around the looped shape of the reverse sheet path to the second intersection of the forward sheet path and the reverse sheet path in the reverse direction, and is transferred along the forward sheet path past the first intersection in the forward direction.
17. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising: a main roller disposed in the frame along the forward sheet path to form the reverse sheet path and to transfer a sheet along the forward sheet path and along the reverse sheet path; and a sensor disposed opposite the main roller to scan a corresponding side of the sheet as the sheet is transferred along the forward sheet path by the main roller.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 , further comprising: a first position sensor disposed on a first side of the main roller to determine a position of the sheet when the sheet is transferred away from the main roller and the sensor; and a second position sensor disposed on a second side of the main roller to determine a position of the sheet when the sheet is transferred toward the main roller and the sensor.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 , further comprising: a discharge roller rotatable in a forward direction and a reverse direction; one or more position sensors to sense a position of the sheet; and a controller to control the discharge roller to rotate in the forward and reverse directions according to the sensed position of the sheet.
20. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising: a sheet guide plate that is pivotable between first and second positions to guide a sheet between the white roller and the discharging unit in the reverse direction and in the forward direction.
21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the sheet guide plate has a first end that is closer to the discharging unit that is hinged and a second end that is closer to the white roller that is movable over a predetermined angle.
22. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the reverse sheet path comprises a single continuous path.
23. A scanning apparatus to perform one-side scanning and two-side scanning operations, comprising: a frame having an input port, an output port, and a sheet path extending therebetween along a length of the frame; a sensor on a first side of the sheet path to scan a sheet; a discharge unit disposed at the output port of the frame and to transfer the sheet in one of a forward direction and a reverse direction; and a roller disposed on a second side of the sheet path opposite the sensor to transfer the sheet along the sheet path to the discharge unit, wherein the discharge unit transfers the sheet in the reverse direction around the roller away from the sheet path such that the sheet is guided over the sensor in an inverted state when the scanning apparatus performs the two side scanning operation.
24. The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein an outer circumference of the roller opposite the sheet path forms a reverse path in the frame along which the sheet is reversed, and the reverse path includes an input intersection point directed into the reverse path adjacent to the discharge unit and an output intersection point directed in between the roller and the sensor.
25. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the discharge unit comprises: a discharge roller that is rotatable in the forward direction and the reverse direction; a first output port disposed above the discharge roller; a second output port disposed below the discharge roller; and sheet directing plate disposed between the roller and the discharge unit to direct the sheet into the reverse path to scan a second side of the sheet and to direct the sheet to the first output port when performing the one-side scanning operation and the second output port when performing the two-side scanning operation.
26. The apparatus of claim 24 , wherein the reverse path comprises a single continuous path.
27. The apparatus of claim 24 , further comprising: one or more auxiliary rollers disposed along the reverse path to transfer the sheet back toward the forward direction.
28. The apparatus of claim 23 , further comprising: a feeding unit to feed one or more sheets into the sheet path.
29. The apparatus of claim 23 , further comprising: one or more position sensors disposed along the sheet path to sense a position of the sheet.
30. A method of controlling a two-side scanning apparatus, comprising: rotating a drive sheet feeding roller; scanning a rear side of a sheet transferred by the drive sheet feeding roller using an image sensor; rotating a sheet discharging roller; stopping the sheet discharging roller when the sheet has been transferred on an upper surface of a sheet guide plate of the two-side scanning apparatus and when a rear end of the sheet having the rear side thereof completely scanned, is positioned between the sheet discharging roller and a first passive roller; pivoting the sheet guide plate upward; rotating the sheet discharging roller in a reverse direction such that the sheet is guided along the upper surface of the sheet guide plate into a sheet reversing path; and scanning a front side of the sheet using the image sensor.
31. The method of claim 30 , wherein when a first sheet sensor senses a front end of the sheet, the sheet discharging roller is rotated.
32. The method of claim 31 , wherein when the first sheet sensor senses a rear end of the sheet, the sheet discharging roller is stopped from rotating.
33. A method of scanning two sides of a document, the method comprising: transferring the document between an image sensor and a main roller in a forward direction along a length of a frame of a scanning apparatus, where the document is guided along a guide plate; and stopping the transfer of the document once a first side of the document is scanned; transferring the document back through the frame around an outer circumference of the main roller and re-transferring the document between the image sensor and the main roller with the guide plate such that a second side of the document is scanned; and discharging the document.
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November 17, 2005
December 28, 2010
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